Madness
by Purtail
Summary: (Re-uploaded) AU. Oneshot. Tigerstar runs ThunderClan with the dog pack leader as his proxy. Moral boundaries are crossed when the beast requires subsistence in return for its loyalties.


**Madness**

**Summary: **AU. Oneshot. Tigerstar runs ThunderClan with the dog pack leader as his proxy. Moral boundaries are crossed when the beast requires subsistence in return for its loyalties.

**Rating: **M (for violence and disturbing themes)

**Notes: **My friend has a lot of pets, one of which is a mouse. Recently, her mouse gave birth, and she sent me pictures of the babies with their eyes open today. I asked if they were keeping the little ones, and if not, I wanted to have one. She replied saying no, they weren't keeping them, and that I could have one if I liked. She also mentioned that the babies were for her pet snake.

Horrified, I felt this need to take at least one of the mice, and to save it from that horrible fate. What a terrible thing...to watch these mice grow since birth, only to send them to their deaths before they can even mature.

Needless to say, this story is my own take on the situation, in a Warriors setting. It takes place sometime after Tigerclaw betrays Bluestar. **In this, he succeeds in killing his leader and Fireheart, and assumes the title of leader. No cat ever challenged him.**

This is from Ferncloud's POV a little after she becomes a warrior; she is immediately forced to have kits.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Warriors.

**Madness**

Ferncloud looked down warmly at the two balls of fur near her belly. "I'm sorry," she whispered in their ears, "that you had to be born in such a horrible time."

She received quiet mews as a response. Shaking her head, she nuzzled her kits closer and screwed her eyes shut, eager to fall asleep and avoid the reality that was ThunderClan. Her consciousness faded after a few moments, and an uncomfortable sleep took her.

Barks startled her out of sleep, as they did every night. Tigerclaw – Tiger_star_ – had a dog circling the camp at all times. It were usually kept out of the cats' way, so long as it was fed in return. However, its patience with the measly rabbits and mice it was given was wearing thin. Ferncloud shivered at the thought of the dog betraying the Clan and crushing them all under its huge fangs.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mate, Dustpelt, entering the nursery. "Ferncloud," he whispered in greeting, nuzzling her. He nodded to the rest of the queens – Sandstorm, Willowpelt, Goldenflower, and Mousefur.

The she-cats of the Clans were forced to take mates – whether or not they had one or not. Brokenstar forced himself onto Sandstorm after Tigerstar's overthrow, and now she was close to giving birth to his kits. Willowpelt, Ferncloud's mother, had just become pregnant with another litter of Whitestorm's. Goldenflower had already had a litter of Tigerstar's, but she was forced to mate with Longtail. Darkstripe had been chosen by Tigerstar to mate with Mousefur, and now she was swollen with his unborn kits.

Of course, there were other she-cats in the Clan, but they were either too old, or infertile. Either way, Tigerstar had murdered them in cold blood moons ago.

He had also killed the last of ThunderClan's hope – Fireheart, the deputy at the time. Because of his relations with the ginger warrior, Cloudtail had also been killed, along with his mate Brightheart (for being 'broken,' as Tigerstar had explained).

After Tigerstar had overthrown Bluestar, he had made allies of the dog pack released upon the forest. He managed to convince one to 'protect' the Clan. He claimed that he was a hero, and should be treated as such – but what Ferncloud couldn't understand was that if he was so heroic, why did he have the dog in camp? Why did he have it threatening their lives, forcing them to be on guard every waking moment?

Dustpelt's meow once again broke Ferncloud's thought pattern, and she glanced up at the brown warrior. "Say again, my love?"

His amber eyes looked slightly sad. "I was just saying hello to Shrewkit and Spiderkit."

She purred, despite everything. "You know they can't answer you yet." Their casual conversation took her back to the happier, peaceful times when Bluestar was leader. But that was moons ago – _too many _moons ago.

"I know," the tom replied. "I'm...gonna miss them."

Ferncloud jerked her head towards Dustpelt, her fur standing on end. "What do you mean?" she demanded, her ears flattening in fright.

Dustpelt avoided her gaze, looking down at his paws. "The dog isn't too happy with the fresh-kill we give it. You know that, right?"

The gray she-cat nodded, her heart sinking.

"Why do you think Tigerstar has forced cats to mate?"

"More warriors?"

The tom shook his head. "No. We have enough toms, and enough she-cats to bear kits if we need them. But for now, w-we," his meow began to crack, "don't need the kits now. T-they're...food."

Ferncloud let out a loud cry of anguish. "_NO!_" she cried, her normally soft mew a horrified hiss. "H-he...he can't do that! W-we don't even know if they'll be good warriors! We don't know what they'll be like if...if..." She shook her head furiously. "I can't even say it! Dustpelt, we can't let Tigerstar do this!"

Dustpelt's claws screeched when he drove them across the ground. "I _know_, Ferncloud. It's not right – it breaks my heart thinking about it. But...the dog needs to be fed."

"Are you mouse-brained?! No, I won't let that beast have my kits!"

"_If we don't feed it, Tigerstar will unleash it on us all!_" The tom screeched, his eyes looking extremely pained. "He's been slowly getting the dog used to the taste of cats. Where do you think the elders' bodies went? What about Bluestar and Fireheart's?" He nuzzled his mate, his voice cracking, "I don't want to lose you, Ferncloud, or anymore of my Clan. I want ThunderClan to live. I'm willing to sacrifice m-my own kits..."

Ferncloud stood up, the kits tumbling onto the soft moss bedding around her. "Well, I'm not," she hissed. "I'm getting the kits out of here. I'd rather be a kittypet than live here anymore." Grasping her two bundles of fur between her teeth, she charged out of the nursery.

Dustpelt yowled after her, but she no longer cared. She didn't care about anything but saving her kits.

"Ferncloud!" A deep growl shook the forest, and the queen stopped. Tigerstar loomed over her, a snarl in his voice. "What in StarClan's name do you think you're doing?"

The queen's ears flattened back against her head. "Leaving. You're not taking my kits." Her eyes shone with nothing but the fierce love of a mother, as if she was prepared to rip her leader to shreds if it meant saving her kits.

Tigerstar didn't even flinch, however. "I'm hurt, Ferncloud. I was going to wait until Sandstorm kitted; her kits would've been much more filling. But for your disobedience, your scrawny kits will have to go." Before the gray she-cat could react, he snatched Shrewkit and Spiderkit from her jaws.

"No, please! I'll do anything!" she yowled in horror. "Please, Tigerstar!"

Her desperate pleas fell upon deaf ears. The massive tabby padded over to the dog, which was sunning itself near the entrance, and dangled the mewling kits in front of its nose. The beast snapped awake, barking and drooling hungrily.

Ferncloud tried to dart towards the animal, but Dustpelt blocked her way. "This is just the way things need to be, Ferncloud," he murmured in sorrow.

"No! No! Shrewkit! Spiderkit! _**NO!**_"

Her voice grew hoarse as she yowled for her kits, but it was far too late.

Tigerstar dropped the two on the ground, and the dog sniffed them immediately. The kits trembled, mewing for their mother, but their eyes weren't even open yet – they couldn't see the drooling beast in front of them.

"_**NO!**_"

And then, the beast opened its massive jaws and bit down on Spiderkit's torso. The mews were cut short as the dog lapped the tiny body into its mouth, crunching the bones with a few small bites while blood seeped from its mouth. Before it was even finished with Spiderkit, it crunched Shrewkit into its jaws as well.

"_**NO!**_"

It was all over in a few moments. The dog licked its paws and swallowed down the last of the blood.

"_No_..."

Tigerstar leapt onto High Rock, overlooking his terrified Clanmates. "This dog needed to be fed, or else it wouldn't be able to protect ThunderClan anymore. StarClan thanks Ferncloud and her kits for their generous sacrifice."

He unsheathed his claws. "However, do not think that those kits will be the only sacrifices. You, as Clan members, are to breed, and then feed your kits to this dog when the time is right. I will choose only a select few to survive and continue this tradition." His long claws ripped across the stone. "And do not think about running away, for there is only one escape: the dog's mouth."

Ferncloud threw back her head and yowled to StarClan. Her screeches were sorrowful, but the sadness masked the utter hopelessness she felt in her heart.

_StarClan, who can save us from this madness?_


End file.
